Saturday, April 16, 2016

Movie Review: High Strung



As a huge music geek and former dance student who is slowly getting back into it, this movie sounded like a perfect choice. I wasn't disappointed. Well.... except for my DVD player deciding it didn't feel like playing this copy. :) It gets finicky now and then. 

The movie follows the story of a dance student (Ruby) who meets a subway musician (Johnnie), a British man facing deportation. Ruby faces the disapproval of an instructor as she fights to keep up with her contemporary training, a style that is Ruby's weakest. When his violin (and the money he earned) is stolen one day, Ruby makes her mission to help him out. She offers to loan him a violin she checked out from school, and even suggests they enter a contest that will not only help him financially, but give him a student visa.

I really enjoyed the film. Not only were the lead actors engaging, the characters were fun to follow on their journey and had some really entertaining interactions. I particularly enjoyed the way the friendship between Ruby and her roommate played out. It was a bit predictable in some spots, while surprising in others and definitely brought the eye and ear candy.

I couldn't take my eyes off the dancers as they performed. The choreography was outstanding, as was the execution. I especially loved the ending performance and watching the chemistry onstage between Ruby and Johnnie. As for the music? I'm not generally a fan of classical (I prefer vocals along with the music), but I was still entertained. They livened things up by combining the classic sound of strings with other contemporary sounds. This is one I will be watching again.  


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